Despite winning comfortably, Rangers weren’t at their best against Falkirk. There were a few players who looked tired, or just weren’t as sharp as they’ve been of late. Below are my opinions on how the players rated.
JAK ALNWICK – 7
There wasn’t a lot to do for Alnwick overall. He had a good save in the first half from a free kick, and his distribution was strong. That aside, it was a quiet match. It will be interesting to see if he’s played in the semi final.
JAMES TAVERNIER – 8
Tavernier led by example again, captaining the team to another high-scoring win. He wasn’t caught out defensively at any point of the match, and got forward well. Often looked to play a pass or beat a player when winning the ball, rather than just go in to win the tackle. Played a part in a couple of goals with his passing and link up.
DAVID BATES – 7
Bates covered well, and didn’t lose anything of note. After taking a punch to an area not best suited for such treatment, he just got on with the game. A couple of moments on the ball had fans worried, but he passed it well. After a number of games next to Martin, he was asked to partner Alves in this one. That would have disrupted his performance somewhat, but it never really showed.
BRUNO ALVES – 6
Alves won the ball well in the air, but looked a yard slow in closing down. As this was his first start of 2018, that was to be expected. Played some nice long passes, one in the first half in particular. However, he gave away a number of fouls which frustrated manager Graeme Murty.
ANDY HALLIDAY – 7
Halliday assisted the second goal, and played decently overall. Much like Tavernier, he wasn’t stretched defensively. That allowed him to be an easy outlet going forward. Some crosses were hit too early, or too high, but this was a good showing. Lucky not to be booked for a late challenge in the second half.
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GREG DOCHERTY – 8
Docherty showed great energy throughout the match. He wasn’t holding back in any way from the physical side of the game either. It was his play in midfield that ensured Rangers stayed on the front foot. Unlucky not to hit target with a left foot shot in the first half, and was beating players and getting in crosses from both sides when running with the ball. Another strong performance from the young midfielder.
SEAN GOSS – 6
Goss seemed to struggle on the day. His passing was inconsistent, which is certainly not how he usually plays. He also struggled to find his range with set pieces. A couple of shots were blocked in the first half, and he seemed to need an extra touch on the day. A game he’ll want to move on from very quickly.
DANIEL CANDEIAS – 8
Two assists for Candeias, on top of his usual excellent workrate. I didn’t expect him to start the match, but Murty was correct to keep the shape the same given how Falkirk lined up. the first assist was a lovely pass for Cummings, and the second from a typical low cross. Unlucky not to set up at least one more in the second half.
JOSH WINDASS – 7
A solid performance from Windass. Should have had an assist from a great run which set up Morelos. He was also able to find space and passed the ball well. Didn’t get many chances to have a sht himself, but created plenty of room and dangerous situations others could exploit.
ALFREDO MORELOS – 6
Morelos looked like he was never going to score on the day. The keeper just had his number. In saying that, his head didn’t really go down. He looked dejected, but he never went hiding. He was also quite effective on the left when swapping with Cummings. Missed two great chances, the type he needs to be better at scoring.
JASON CUMMINGS – 9
A hattrick for Cummings, and the role suited his game somewhat. He was able to rotate position with Morelos, and took all of his goals really well. His passing, control and link up play was pretty good. Despite not playing much of late, the finish for the first goal showed that he hasn’t lost any confidence in his ability. This game will give Murty a selection dilemma for next weekend.
JASON HOLT – 4
Holt came on and got around 23 minutes in midfield. One run forward was thwarted by the keeper, but as the game was well won, it was a quiet one for him.
KENNY MILLER – 2
Miller tried to get involved, but was caught offside a couple of times.
JOE DODOO – 2
A few touches for Dodoo, but the game was pretty much done by then.
Any ratings you disagree with? Tweet us @rangersnewsuk with your thoughts!